Real Salt Lake announce their 2013 schedule

Well it is time to start making your MLS travel plans and just in time is the 2013 RSL schedule. We knew a couple weeks ago that RSL would open the road on March, 3rd at the San Jose Earthquakes, then travel to the East coast to take on D.C. United on March, 9th. The home opener for RSL will be on March, 16th when the Colorado Rapids come to town, the time for the match is still up in the air as NBC Sports will be in town to broadcast the 1st leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup.

Speaking of National TV, RSL will be on NBC Sports 4 times (3-16 vs. Rapids, 4-6 @ Rapids, 8-30 vs. Portland, and 9-13 @ Seattle), and ESPN once (8-3 @ Rapids). Those 5 appearances will be a high mark for RSL on national TV, clearly the rivalry of the RMC is getting noticed. All of the rest of the Real Salt Lake matches in MLS action will again be featured on local TV thanks to the partnership with ABC/CW, as well as MLS Live and Direct Kick (remember RSL doesn’t black out their local broadcast matches).

Well that didn’t last long, from a draft schedule this morning to just 3 National TV matches when released, or 4 depending on what version of the MLS schedule you look at.

Conversely, RSL will travel 2 out of 3 times to Colorado, Dallas, Portland and Vancouver

6 of 8 games between May 25 & July 20 will take place at Rio Tinto Stadium, where RSL has dropped only 11 of its last 92 games in all competitions (4 of 5 on road following that home stand)

All 34 games will be heard live on ESPN700, with all 31 non-National TV games seen locally on KTVX ch. 4 or KUCW ch. 30

Now for some really exciting news

Yes that was kinda mean of me, so you have seen on Twitter and Facebook that RSL is in the running for hosting the March USMNT World Cup qualifying match, and while I believe that is very much alive still, I don’t think it will happen as RSL is also in the running for a Gold Cup double header on either July 6th or 13th that would feature the USMNT as well as another match. I expect that we will get the Gold Cup double header or the WC Qualifier, but I doubt we will get both. Still it will be nice to have the USMNT back in the fold.

I will post more thoughts later, but here is your complete RSL schedule for 2013: